Spain is a wonderful country to live in, full of life and experiences that we all enjoy every year. We have many fiesta days in Spain, starting from the Kings on the 05 January each year
The first up is the "Fiesta de San Antonio Abad"
So who was San Antonio Abad? He was born in Egypt in 251AD and has gone down in history as a "protector of animals"
He was considered to be the founder of monasticism (A religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work) in the Christian religion. According to the story, a grateful pig accompanied him wherever he went, hence the fiesta was also known as "Sant Antoni del " Porquet " (little pig)"
The story is that members of the Spanish cavalry took their horses for a ride around a very old olive tree that existed in the cloister of a church, and took a twig from this tree that they put as an ornament on their animals. The belief was that it would free them from all evil. More than 200 years later, the tradition is maintained today.
Antonio Abad died on January 17th and each year all over Spain people bring their animals to be blessed by a priest
The festival of Sant Antoni Abat is focused on three of the most significant events:
1.- The “Porrat de sant Antoni”.
2.- Assembly and burning of the bonfire of San Antonio.
3.- The blessing of animals with the subsequent parade.
References
https://www.antonianosvalencia.com/
https://www.visitvalencia.com/agenda-valencia/fiestas/festividad-san-antonio-abad
https://www.sentidoanimal.es/san-anton-patron-de-los-animales/
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